Who Is the Customer?

Clearly identifying the customer is critical in focusing our sales and marketing where we have the greatest insights, where we have the greatest impact, and where we get the greatest return on our investment in time and resources. Doing this focuses us on the customer where we create the greatest value.
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A Sane Approach to Pricing for Someone New to Freelance

How do you handle pricing when you’re a freelancer? What type of freelance business are we talking about? It really doesn’t matter. The situation is similar for bookkeeping, web design, programming and any number of other service businesses that can be handled by a solo practitioner.

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Refresh Your Enthusiasm for the Job

It is human nature for you and every entrepreneur to fall into a routine of taking care of day to day issues, meetings, communicating with customers and shareholders. But you remember the thrilling days when everything was newer, each decision an event, each milestone something to be celebrated.
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7 Key Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

Crowdfunding can be an effective tool for accomplishing your startup goals. Whether you’re looking to jumpstart your marketing efforts, expand your customer base, or reach out to friends and family for funding, crowdfunding provides a platform to rally support around you and your company.
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Invention: The Entrepreneurial Curse

Unfortunately, the death knell for many wide-eyed entrepreneurs is that they consider themselves inventors. More specifically, they confuse being inventive with being innovative. And when they do, they run out of cash, time and customers. In other words, they run out of business.
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How to Mine Your Customer List for Sales Gold

As a business owner, your biggest potential gold mines are often closer than you think—it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. By going beyond what’s worked in the past and being open to new strategies, you’ll be surprised by how many untapped profit centers are just within your reach.
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A Great Product Will Fail Unless You Price It Right

One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free, to pricing based on costs, to charging what the market will bear (premium pricing). The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability.
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Incorrectly Pricing Your Product or Service

Most new business owners tend to undervalue what they charge for their work and services in order to compensate for not being as established as their competitors. As long as you have a top notch customer service experience and offer a product or service that’s similar or better than a competitor, you shouldn’t devalue yourself.
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